Mesoporous materials for clean energy technologies

Alternative energy technologies are greatly hindered by significant limitations in materials science. From low activity to poor stability, and from mineral scarcity to high cost, the current materials are not able to cope with the significant challenges of clean energy technologies. However, recent advances in the preparation of nanomaterials, porous solids, and nanostructured solids are providing hope in the race for a better, cleaner energy production. The present contribution critically reviews the development and role of mesoporosity in a wide range of technologies, as this provides for critical improvements in accessibility, the dispersion of the active phase and a higher surface area. Relevant examples of the development of mesoporosity by a wide range of techniques are provided, including the preparation of hierarchical structures with pore systems in different scale ranges. Mesoporosity plays a significant role in catalysis, especially in the most challenging processes where bulky molecules, like those obtained from biomass or highly unreactive species, such as CO2 should be transformed into most valuable products. Furthermore, mesoporous materials also play a significant role as electrodes in fuel and solar cells and in thermoelectric devices, technologies which are benefiting from improved accessibility and a better dispersion of materials with controlled porosity.

Spectroelectrochemical Study of the Photoinduced Catalytic Formation of 4,4′-Dimercaptoazobenzene from 4-Aminobenzenethiol Adsorbed on Nanostructured Copper

Surface-enhanced raman scattering (SERS) spectra of self-assembled monolayers of 4-aminobenzenethiol (4-ABT) on copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) surfaces decorated with Cu and Ag nanostructures, respectively, have been obtained with lasers at 532, 632.8, 785, and 1064 nm. Density functional theory (DFT) has been used to obtain calculated vibrational frequencies of the 4-ABT and 4,4′-dimercaptoazobenzene (4,4′-DMAB) molecules adsorbed on model Cu surfaces. The features of the SERS spectra depend on the electrode potential and the type and power density of the laser. SERS spectra showed the formation of the 4,4′-DMAB on the nanostructured Cu surface independently of the laser employed. For the sake of comparison SERS spectra of a self-assembled monolayer of the 4-ABT on Ag surfaces decorated with Ag nanostructures have been also obtained with the same four lasers. When using the 532 and 632.8 nm lasers, the 4,4′-DMAB is formed on Cu surface at electrode potentials as low as −1.0 V (AgCl/Ag) showing a different behavior with respect to Ag (and others metals such as Au and Pt). On the other hand, the surface-enhanced infrared reflection absorption (SEIRA) spectra showed that in the absence of the laser excitation the 4,4′-DMAB is not produced from the adsorbed 4-ABT on nanostructured Cu in the whole range of potentials studied. These results point out the prevalence of the role of electron–hole pairs through surface plasmon activity to explain the obtained SERS spectra.

Aprendiendo a mirar profesionalmente el pensamiento matemático de los estudiantes en el contexto de las prácticas de enseñanza. El papel de las narrativas

Este estudio examina el papel de las narrativas como una herramienta para ayudar a los estudiantes para maestro a desarrollar la competencia mirar profesionalmente el pensamiento matemático de los estudiantes. Durante las prácticas en los centros, se pidió a 41 estudiantes para maestro que escribieran una narrativa en la que se identificaran evidencias de lo que consideraban manifestaciones de la comprensión matemática de los estudiantes. Los resultados muestran que la tarea de escribir sucesos del aula centrados en la manera en la que los estudiantes resolvían los problemas en forma de narrativas, ayudó a los estudiantes para maestro a focalizar y estructurar su manera de mirar. Mostraremos a través de las narrativas escritas algunas características de cómo los estudiantes para maestro estaban “mirando” el desarrollo del pensamiento numérico en los estudiantes de educación primaria.

Nuevos medios y empresas innovadoras. El caso de las agencias de medios

Los medios digitales abren nuevos horizontes para la investigación y la planificación publicitaria. Las agencias de medios deben adaptar su actividad a esta nueva realidad con el propósito de seguir llegando a los públicos y aprovechar las oportunidades de negocio. Este artículo plantea que este proceso de asimilación de los nuevos medios en las campañas publicitarias amplía los servicios ofrecidos por las agencias, construyendo los pilares para que las mismas sean consideradas empresas innovadoras. Para ello, se observan las diez agencias de medios españolas que más inversión publicitaria gestionan, de acuerdo con el ranking de Infoadex. Estas empresas contribuyen a la iniciativa “Unión por la innovación” de la Estrategia Europea 2020.

Dynamics of motor nerve terminal remodeling unveiled using SNARE-cleaving botulinum toxins: the extent and duration are dictated by the sites of SNAP-25 truncation

Nerve sprouts emerge from motor nerve terminals following blockade of exo-endocytosis for more than 3 days by botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), and form functional synapses, albeit temporary. Upon restoration of synaptic activity to the parent terminal 7 and 90 days after exposure to BoNT/F or A respectively, a concomitant retraction of the outgrowths was observed. BoNT/E caused short-term neuroparalysis, and dramatically accelerated the recovery of BoNT/A-paralyzed muscle by further truncation of SNAP-25 and its replenishment with functional full-length SNARE. The removal of 9 C-terminal residues from SNAP-25 by BoNT/A leads to persistence of the inhibitory product due to the formation of a nonproductive SNARE complex(es) at release sites, whereas deletion of a further 17 amino acids permits replenishment and a speedy recovery. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Macrocycles and medicine - facile synthesis of a bis(macrocycle) with pendent functionality

The crystal structure of the Cu(II) perchlorate complex of a functionalised bis(rnacrocycle) ligand, where the individual macrocycle units are of the cyclam type and adopt the trans-III configuration, is analysed in terms of its possible relationship to those of bis(macrocycle) complexes possessing anti-viral activity. To cite this article: P V Bernhardt et al., C. R. Chimie 8 (2005). (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Ena/VASP proteins can regulate distinct modes of actin organization at cadherin-adhesive contacts

Functional interactions between classical cadherins and the actin cytoskeleton involve diverse actin activities, including filament nucleation, cross-linking, and bundling. In this report, we explored the capacity of Ena/VASP proteins to regulate the actin cytoskeleton at cadherin-adhesive contacts. We extended the observation that Ena/vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) proteins localize at cell-cell contacts to demonstrate that E-cadherin homophilic ligation is sufficient to recruit Mena to adhesion sites. Ena/VASP activity was necessary both for F-actin accumulation and assembly at cell-cell contacts. Moreover, we identified two distinct pools of Mena within individual homophilic adhesions that cells made when they adhered to cadherin-coated substrata. These Mena pools localized with Arp2/3-driven cellular protrusions as well as at the tips of cadherin-based actin bundles. Importantly, Ena/VASP activity was necessary for both modes of actin activity to be expressed. Moreover, selective depletion of Ena/VASP proteins from the tips of cadherin-based bundles perturbed the bundles without affecting the protrusive F-actin pool. We propose that Ena/VASP proteins may serve as higher order regulators of the cytoskeleton at cadherin contacts through their ability to modulate distinct modes of actin organization at those contacts.

Identifying sequence regions undergoing conformational change via predicted continuum secondary structure

Motivation: Conformational flexibility is essential to the function of many proteins, e.g. catalytic activity. To assist efforts in determining and exploring the functional properties of a protein, it is desirable to automatically identify regions that are prone to undergo conformational changes. It was recently shown that a probabilistic predictor of continuum secondary structure is more accurate than categorical predictors for structurally ambivalent sequence regions, suggesting that such models are suited to characterize protein flexibility. Results: We develop a computational method for identifying regions that are prone to conformational change directly from the amino acid sequence. The method uses the entropy of the probabilistic output of an 8-class continuum secondary structure predictor. Results for 171 unique amino acid sequences with well-characterized variable structure (identified in the 'Macromolecular movements database') indicate that the method is highly sensitive at identifying flexible protein regions, but false positives remain a problem. The method can be used to explore conformational flexibility of proteins (including hypothetical or synthetic ones) whose structure is yet to be determined experimentally.

The relationships among teacher behaviours, teacher efficacy, and student quality of school life: A multilevel perspective

This Study invesdgated the impact of teacher behaviours on student quaUt}' of school Ufe (SQSL). A measure of teacher organisadonal cidzenship behaviour (OCB) was developed, tapping two dimensions of organisadon-focused OCB (OCBO) and one dimension of individual-focused OCB (OCBI). In Une with previous research suggesdng that OCBOs may consdtute efficacyenhancing experiences, as weU as studies demonstradng the posidve consequences of teacher efficacy for students, we expected teacher efficacy to mediate the reladonship between OCBO and SQSL. Hypotheses were tested in a muldlevel design in which 171 teachers and their students (N=3018) completed quesdonnaires. A significant propordon of variance in SQSL was attributable to classroom factors. Support was found for the main effects of OCBO, as well as the main and mediadng effects of teacher efficacy.

Local industrial systems and the location of FDI in Italy

This article investigates the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI)location across Italian provinces. Specifically it examines the relationship between industry- specific local industrial systems and the location of inward FDI. This extends previous analysis beyond the mere density of activity, to illustrate the importance of the specific nature of agglomerations in attracting inward investment. The article develops a model of FDI location choice using a unique FDI database stratified by industry and province. The results also suggest that the importance of agglomeration differs between industries, and offers some explanation for this.

What is 'neuromarketing'? A discussion and agenda for future research

Recent years have seen advances in neuroimaging to such an extent that neuroscientists are able to directly study the frequency, location, and timing of neuronal activity to an unprecedented degree. However, marketing science has remained largely unaware of such advances and their huge potential. In fact, the application of neuroimaging to market research - what has come to be called 'neuromarketing' - has caused considerable controversy within neuroscience circles in recent times. This paper is an attempt to widen the scope of neuromarketing beyond commercial brand and consumer behaviour applications, to include a wider conceptualisation of marketing science. Drawing from general neuroscience and neuroeconomics, neuromarketing as a field of study is defined, and some future research directions are suggested. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of β-adrenoceptor antagonists on autonomic control of ciliary smooth muscle

Purpose: Pharmacological intervention with peripheral sympathetic transmission at ciliary smooth muscle neuro-receptor junctions has been used against a background of controlled parasympathetic activity to investigate the characteristics of autonomic control of ocular accommodation. Methods: A continuously recording infrared optometer was used to measure accommodation on a group of five visually normal emmetropic subjects under open- and closed-loop conditions. A double-blind protocol between saline, timolol and betaxolol was used to differentiate between the localised action on ciliary smooth muscle and effects induced by changes in stimulus conditions. Data were collected before and 45 min following the instillation of saline, timolol or betaxolol. Open-loop post-task decay was investigated following 3 min sustained near fixation of a stimulus placed 3 D above the subject's pre-task tonic accommodation level. Closed-loop dynamic responses were recorded for each treatment condition while subjects viewed sinusoidally (0.05-0.6 Hz) or stepwise vergence-modulated targets over a 2 D range (2-4 D). Results: Open-loop data demonstrate a rapid post-task regression to pre-task tonic accommodation levels for saline and betaxolol control conditions. A slow positive post-task shift was induced by timolol indicating that sympathetic inhibition contributes to accommodative adaptation during sustained near vision. Closed-loop accommodation responses to temporally modulated sinusoidal stimuli showed characteristic features for both saline and betaxolol control conditions. Timolol induced a reduced gain for low- and mid-temporal frequencies (< 0.3 Hz) but did not affect the response at higher temporal frequencies. Response times to stepwise stimuli increased following the instillation of timolol for the near-to-far fixation condition compared with the controls and was related to the period of sustained prior fixation. Conclusions: Modulation of accommodation under open- and closed-loop conditions by a non-selective β-blocker is consistent with the temporal and inhibitory features of sympathetic innervation to ciliary smooth muscle. Although parasympathetic innervation predominates there is evidence to support a role for sympathetic innervation in the control of ocular accommodation. © 2002 The College of Optometrists.

Adjuvant properties of a simplified C32 monomycolyl glycerol analogue

A simplified C32 monomycolyl glycerol (MMG) analogue demonstrated enhanced immunostimulatory activity in a dioctadecyl ammonium bromide (DDA)/Ag85B-ESAT-6 formulation. Elevated levels of IFN-gamma and IL-6 were produced in spleen cells from mice immunised with a C32 MMG analogue comparable activity to the potent Th1 adjuvant, trehalose 6,6'-di-behenate (TDB).

Functional presynaptic HCN channels in the rat globus pallidus

Hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels are expressed postsynaptically in the rodent globus pallidus (GP), where they play several important roles in controlling GP neuronal activity. To further elucidate the role of HCN channels in the GP, immunocytochemical and electrophysiological approaches were used to test the hypothesis that HCN channels are also expressed presynaptically on the local axon collaterals of GP neurons. At the electron microscopic level, immunoperoxidase labelling for HCN1 and HCN2 was localized in GP somata and dendritic processes, myelinated and unmyelinated axons, and axon terminals. One population of labelled terminals formed symmetric synapses with somata and proximal dendrites and were immunoreactive for parvalbumin, consistent with the axon collaterals of GABAergic GP projection neurons. In addition, labelling for HCN2 and, to a lesser degree, HCN1 was observed in axon terminals that formed asymmetric synapses and were immunoreactive for the vesicular glutamate transporter 2. Immunogold labelling demonstrated that HCN1 and HCN2 were located predominantly at extrasynaptic sites along the plasma membrane of both types of terminal. To determine the function of presynaptic HCN channels in the GP, we performed whole-cell recordings from GP neurons in vitro. Bath application of the HCN channel blocker ZD7288 resulted in an increase in the frequency of mIPSCs but had no effect on their amplitude, implying that HCN channels tonically regulate the release of GABA. Their presence, and predicted role in modulating transmitter release, represents a hitherto unidentified mechanism whereby HCN channels influence the activity of GP neurons. © The Authors (2007).

Information management for viable organisations

The recent global „credit crunch? has brought sharply into focus the need for better understanding of what it takes for organisations to survive. This research seeks to help organisations maintain their „viability? – the ability to maintain a separate existence and survive on their own. Whilst there are a multitude of factors that contribute to organisational viability, information can be viewed as the lifeblood of organisations. This research increases our understanding of how organisations can manage information effectively to help maintain their viability. The viable systems model (VSM) is an established modelling technique that enables the detailed analysis of organisational activity to examine how the structure and functions performed in an organisation contribute to its „viability?. The VSM has been widely applied, in small/large companies, industries and governments. However, whilst the VSM concentrates on the structure and functions necessary for an organisation to be viable, it pays much less attention to information deployment in organisations. Indeed, the VSM is criticised in the literature for being unable to provide much help with detailed information and communication structures and new theories are called for to explore the way people interact and what information they need in the VSM. This research analyses qualitative data collected from four case studies to contribute to our understanding of the role that information plays in organisational viability, making three key contributions to the academic literature. In the information management literature, this research provides new insight into the roles that specific information plays in organisations. In the systems thinking literature, this research extends our understanding of the VSM and builds on its powerful diagnostic capability to provide further criteria to aid in the diagnosis of viable organisations. In the information systems literature, this research develops a framework that can be used to help organisations design more effective information systems.